The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1887-12-17
TO OUR SISTER ANNETTE.

The f0ilowlng lines were sent TO MIS-
Annette Winsor Peters after the death of her
husband, DIR. F. S. Peters. by her brother-in-
law, Mr.. o. d. Madge. of Baltimore, Nd, rs
an "oifering from his soul of thought"
| Once more old mother earth puts on her
somber hue
The leaves that were so bright and green, arc
fallen to the ground,
The flowers that bloOmed with beauty rare
and fragrance sweet are gone;
The grass turns brown and scar,
The sweet gay sOngster of tie wood. his
flight has winged
To summer skies.
The proving beast, with stealthy tread
skuiks to his lair
And chilly blasts of north wind drive poor
fallen man
To humble cot, or stately pile, for shelterlng
warmth;
With measured tread the sun is left behind,
As through the heavens, with grandeur sweeps
our sphere again her monthly course,
And homage pays the Grim Frost King;
Gone are the leaves, and the flowers, and the
buds,
And the green grass, aud the sunshine, and
the bright days;
Gone, too. are the dead.
The seasons so and come,
The earth again her course will take,
And the bright days, and the sunshine,
And the green grass. and the birds
And the leaves and the 1owers-will sll re-
turn again
To gladden. our hearts, and fill our souls with
joy.
But our dead-perish the thought! they will
never come
Again to gladden. our hearts with love
They are gone. gone, gonel
| And in thu flesh we shall never greet them
| Oh! what is death, that it should bring TO
| man
| Such awful Woe;
And to all living things no mercy show?
| And vet our God is Love! How can this be!
| I each us this Love to see!
God is Eternal force, force is energy. energy
is life,
Life is the creation motor which moves all
things,
Motion causes eternal change, eternal change
is death,
Life is the f,rce which moves all change
| Death is but the result of change
1t is decreed that every living form shall
change-shall perish,
If there were no change, no death, life itself
would then be dead,
For life must ever be in motion;
And the elements must feed the life with new
material,
And new material must be formed again into
other forms,
So shall the eternal force may ever be at work,
And so. what we call death is only change.
If there were no death there would be no
change,
Were there no change there would be no
motion,
Were there no motion there would be no lite,
Then. indeed, would there be death-for
God the Power,
God the Force, God the Source, would be
dead
And we would be without an Eternal Living
God,
Not have eternal life.
, Life cannot die-only the forms which life
assumes may die
Life is eternal and lives on assuming Other
/ forms,
Our loved ones dead are only dead in form,
The life, the which is soul, lives on eternal.
, Moving Gods will TO obey, as He DEGREES,
We are his creatures and are under His de-
crees,
0 We may not murmer at His will
But oh. this changel
How poor and desolate 1t leaves the human
heart.
Love hates death
q Death stands at the door to enter in, while
Love, robed IN purest white, guards the en-
trance,
n And bids death be gonel
= Death heeds her not but advancing, pushes q
The door while Love, with outstretched arms
. Braces her form, and pushing 'gainst tht
Il door
Strives to keep him out-alas, in vain.
II Over Loves PROSTATE form death enters in,
Behind poor stricken Love. kneels hope
s Clipging to the crOss-while sister Faith
e Is whispering IN her ear, and prays.
Z Nor Love, nor Hope, nor Faith. nor Prayer
Can keep him out. he enters still,
- And strikes his cruel blow,
Nor mercy shows to any hnman heart,
His work is done and slowly he departs,
Sorrow. in somber robes, with fevered eyes
Disbeveled hair, and broken heart, bares
Her bosom and weeps-
Love raises again her crushed form,
And bewildered, gazes ut the cruel change,
And cries in anguish, Despair, Despair, Des
oairl
Thei; the Healer comes there. with His ten
der care,'
Bids sorrow depart, and Love to look on His
Bleeding Heart
Thy heart, Oh, Love! bleed for one misse
face,
But mine ever bleeds for the human race.
Without cross no crowns obtained.
Who bears the cross their crown has gained
Oh troubled heart thy peace to find,
Do good to those of human kind,
All that is. is but Divine Will,
Oh! heart be still, ''Pesce, be still"
h., Again old mother earth her course has sprung
The leaves. and the flowers. and the birds,
AND the green grass, and the sunshine.
:, And the bright days, are once more here,
r 'fis spring, so we will say!
Our loved ones gone Oh! where are thew!
fhey are here, they are here, SO very near,
In memory sweet, forever dear,
They are here so near,
Summer, too. will soon be here, and bring
!, Ripening fruits from towering sprir &,
Bring, too, oh summer, thy healing balm
For stricken hearts. their trouble calm!
= Oh! sorrow take wing,
Oh! summer then bring,
, Once more,
!. One stricken heart Into
Our door!
. o. ID. MADGE.
| Baltimore, Nov. 81 1881